Continuous decanter



'Feb.18,1947. w. .KETHuM 2,416,009"

CONTINUOUS 'DECANTER F iled-Novf24, 1944 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVEN TOR Feb. 18, 1947. w. R. KETCHUM CONTINUOUS DECANTER 2 Sheets'neet Filed NOV. 24, 1944 Patented Feb. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS DECANTER William R. Ketchum, Maricopa County, Ariz. Application November 24, 1944, Serial No. 564,989

3 Claims. 1

This invention, which is a continuation in part of my prior application, patented December 26, 1944, and numbered 2,365,883, pertains to continuous decanters for removing oil-bearing froth from freshly extracted citrus juices combined with juice feed controlling devices.

In refining citrus juices I have found that rind and pulp oils mixed with the juices during extraction should be removed by a continuous decanting of the froth which accumulates on the juice. Thereafter, it is desirable to keep the juice from contact with air and immediately draw a vacuum on the juice, first to remove dissolved air or other gases, and second to draw the juice into contain: ers, under suction, rather than have it flow into containers by gravity, This method is explained in my process Patent No. 2,319,994.

After removal of the froth which accumulates at atmospheric pressure by decanting, it is necessary to provide a mechanism which will retain a certain volume'of juice to be delivered to the refining and filling system so that air will not enter the refining system and the vacuum on the juice supply will not be broken.

A device for this purpose may be termed a juice flow float control. I have found that in such a device there is a tendency for froth to arise and form on the surface of the temporarily retained trapped juice, and this is true in some cases even if .the juice has been previously skimmed. It therefore, advantageous to remove this froth before the juice is drawn further into the system. In this way twooperations of refining may be combined in one element of the apparatus,

In view of the foregoing, one of the objects of my invention is to provide a combined continuous froth skimming decanter and juice flow control.

A second object is to provide a device which will receive citrus juice, spread it into a thin film so that froth will form on the film, retain a body of juice in a trap so the outlet therefrom will always remain below the surface of the juice 7 and at the same time remove the froth formed from the body of the juice.

A third object is to provide a, juice fiow control comprising a vessel having a discharge opening in the central portion of its bottom, surrounded by a valve seat, with a fioat positioned above this discharge opening having a valve on its lower surface, and an upper surface adapted to receive and spread juice introduced at its central portion, all arranged and proportioned so that the upper edge of the vessel acts as a froth wier to retain juice held in the container and permit froth formed on the surface of the juice to decant over the wier and be received in a trough surrounding the wier lip, or otherwise be separated from the body of the juice within the vessel.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the apparatus, structure and devices shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of my device;

Figure 2, a vertical mid-sectional front elevational View thereof;

Figure 3, a plan view of the float drawn on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4, a plan view of the valve seat drawn on an enlarged scale;

Figure 5, a vertical mid-sectional view of a modified form of my device, and

Figure 6, a plan view thereof with the top cover removed.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in all views.

Numeral 2 indicates the body of the float control vessel, as shown in Figs. 1 through 4. This vessel is round, with the sides somewhat flared. The interior of the bottom 3 is somewhat concave, and is pierced by a discharge hole 4 into which a discharge tube 5 is fitted.

The upper rim of the vessel is provided with a lip, forming a wier 6, from which an outwardly and downwardly depending annular skirt 1 extends. Wier 6 is surrounded by an annular trough 8 having a discharge lip 9.

This part of the apparatus is best made of acid resistant plastic or ceramic ware.

Within vessel 2 a hollow float l0 functions as a juice spreader and as a valve control. It is preferably made of stainless steel. The top H of this float is convex or domed and provided with two concentric juice-spreading and sediment-retaining rings, l2 and I3. The side portion I4 is substantially cylindrical and the bottom l5 slightly convex. I

From the center of the bottom an open guide tube I6 extends upward into the float. At the upper end it is closed by top II.

The central portion of the bottom, surrounding tube l6, acts as a valve plug and closes against a seat formed by a rubber ring ll surrounding tube 5 on the bottom of the vessel. These parts form the float valve portion of the device.

A spider 20 is fitted within tube 5 and carries a fluted upwardly-extending guide rod 2| which works in float guide tube I6 and keeps the float alined and in position.

When there is little or no juice in vessel 2 the bottom of the float rests on valve seat I! and closes tube 5. The float is proportioned and weighted so that when the juice level in vessel float top H, runs over the edges of rings i2 and I3 and down into the vessel '2. Discharge tube 5 is connected to a delivery line leading through cooling, storage and filling apparatus, all being parts of the refining system, on which 'a, vacuum suction is maintained. The float Hi keeps valve s at. g! c ose un i u c fi t e el to e e A'TA; an t ere m n a a prede m n quant y Qf j i e n e ves e a l t r t released when juice flows over top H collects in the upper part of vessel 2 and as the juice level rises a po tion fl s e w e 5, nd s. eta n by cohesion on shirt I. The action of the skirt, due to the filming and cohesion of the froth particles, is to pull the ring of froth over the wier to a position where it will drop into trough 8. t th discharg s thro gh he 5.

I have noticed that a skirt lip of the nature sh wn is n c s r to cause t e ty e o frot to break over the wier and separate from froth forme and fleet n n he iquid u f c n t e vessel.

After ju ce ha a cum lated in h ves to line AA the valveforrned between 15, and I1 op ns and permitsit to be dr w ou unt lv the float lowers and again closes this valve, The Jui e. evel n flee tan l flu u urin operation. No juice extractors, known to theart, deliv r a s eeds: s y f j i e: Th up y flu mat and is eli e in sur es,- e th e s n it is necessary to provide thevessel and float with neush eeree tv to tem a s r of ui e om the extractor and let it out when a sufficient amount is accumulated. At all times, however, the juice level is maintained above line B-B softhat air will not enter tube 5 and go on into the system.

Any seeds, sediment, heavy particles, or the like, entering through'pipe 25 will be caught behind rings l2 and 13'. These are cleaned at proper intervals. These rings also serve to level and evenlydistribute the juice flow.

I In the form of the device shown in Figures 5 and 6, '29 indicates the supply tube heldin the center of a round cover 38 and positioned to deliver juice to the center of a ring 32 on the top 3| or float 3B. A second ring 33 concentrically surrounds'ring 32, and a thirdring 34 surrounds the upper rim of the float. The float is generally cylindrical, the top 3| and bottom 35are convex and conical or domed. The float valve is formed between the centrally-positioned bars 38 on the float bottom 35, and the rubber seat 3! surrounding the top opening of delivery tube 49, positioned in the middle of the bottom 4% of the vessel body 42. The float is maintained in the center of the vessel by radially extending fins 43, and by the tip 44 extending downward from boss 38. The top cover 38 rests on supports 45.

The, operat on of this form of my device is similar to th first form mentioned, x pt-t at:

froth formed on top of the float is drawn off over the edge 46 of the vessel body 42 by contact with the underside of cover 3 and the action of its peripheral depending lip 47. Froth creeps along the under side of the top which provides the necessary cohesive action to draw it over the vessel edge. The working of the float up and down during operation assists in this action. Rings 32, 33 and 34, provide sediment traps, and the delivery tube is connected to the other apparatus of the system similar to tube 5 in the form previously described.

From the foregoing, it is apparent I have produced a simplified, combined decanter and juice float control both useful and necessary in the processing and refiningof citrus juices. I realize that many small modifications and changes may be made; all of which, however, may well remain within the spirit of the invention. Therefore, I Wish to be limited only by the followins claims- I claim:

1. A citrus juice froth decanter and flow control, comprising, in combination, a vessel having vertically extending sides, a froth wier formed by the upper edge and sides of said vessel, a delivery tube in the central portion of the bottom of said vessel, provided with a valve seat, a float operative within said vessel having a valve plug cooperative with said valve seat, and proportioned to sink and close said valve seat when liquid in said vessel falls below a predetermined level and tolift from said valve seat when liquid rises above a predetermined level within a vessel, and having a top slanting from the center toward the edges, annular rings positioned on said top, a supply tube positioned over the central portion of said float, top, and an annular depending element surrounding the froth wier adapted to. contact froth and draw it over the edge of said wier.

2 A device for refining citrus fruit juices, as herein disclosed, consisting of a decanter, comprising in combination, a containing vessel having a centrally positioned discharge opening in the bottom thereof provided with a valve seat,

and having vertical sides, the upper edge thereof constituting a, froth decanting weir a covering element spaced above said, vessel having a centrally positioned juice feed tube, and a peripheral depending lip coextensive with said vessel weir and positioned above and outward therefrom; being adapted to carry froth over the edge of said Weir and outward therefrom; and a float operative Within said vessel, having a valve plug on its lower portion adapted to cooperate with the valve seat in said vessel, and being buoyantly proportioned to open said valve when liquid in said vesselrises above a predetermined level, and close said valve when said liquid falls below a. predetermined level, and having a domed upper sur-. face adapted to film juice flowing thereover from its central portion.

3. A citrus juice froth decanter and flow control, comprising in combination, a vessel having vertically extending sides, a froth weir formed by the upper edge of said sides, a delivery outlet tube opening into the central portion of the bottomof said vessel, said opening being surrounded by a valve seat, a float operative within said vessel having a valve plug inthe centerv ofits lower position, downwardly extending and cooperative with said valve seat to constitute a shutofi valve, said float being proportioned. to sink and close said valve when. liquid in saidvesselfalls below a predetermined level and to open said valve 5 when liquid rises above a predetermined level therein, and having a top shaped to slant from its central portion toward its edges provided with a plurality of concentric baflies; together with a cover positioned over said vessel having a supply tube located over the center of said float, and a flat outwardly extending under face extending horizontally and positioned a predetermined distance above the top of said vessel parallel to the plane of said weir, and having a downwardly 10 turned outer edge forming a peripheral lip positioned above and outward from said weir.

WILLIAM R. KETCI-IUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Allen Dec. 7, 1909 Allen Mar. 4, 1919 Allen Apr. 17, 1923 Guillaume Oct. 21, 1941 Samiran Feb. 23, 1943 Ketchum Dec. 26, 1944 Callow et a1 Jan. 12, 1915 Cobb Oct. 17, 1916 Cantrall Oct. 22, 1929 Cummings May 25, 1915 Owen Oct. 19, 1915 Crerar July 10, 1917 Gillard Nov. 28, 1944 

